Yesterday's Tomorrow
by Hoseki-sama
Summary: Kuina shows Zoro what might have been.
1. Conversation

**Yesterday's Tomorrow**

**One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei. He is not me.**

"Weak! Weak!"

"Will you stop _saying _that already!"

"Nope."

"You are the most infuriating woman I have ever met."

"Thank you so much. No dinner tonight."

"Dammit!"

"And I was planning something special, too. Poor you."

"A real swordswoman would beat me up instead of not letting me have dinner. You've gotten really domestic."

"So what if I cook?! Is that some sort of crime? If I didn't cook, we would have to eat whatever crap you can whip up."

"It's not bad, really! I just never thought you were this feminine… I suppose it snuck up on me."

"_Cooking_ is not feminine. _Cleaning_ is feminine. That's why I'm making you clean up tonight, too."

"Why do you get to decide who does what?!"

"Because I can bet you up with one third the amount of weaponry."

"There is that, I suppose."

"You _suppose_? That's it, I am _so_ kicking your ass!"

"Bring it on! I'll definitely beat you this time!"

* * *

"Good try! I was almost worried there in the beginning." 

"Grrr…"

"Don't sweat it. You're just weak."

"I am not! I defeated like a hundred pirates yesterday! At once!"

"Those guys? Please. If their captain hadn't had a nice bounty we wouldn't have touched them."

"I know that. I also know that I'm not weak!"

"Keep telling yourself that. You'll never even touch Hawk-Eyes at this level. We both have to improve."

"Hah. You're telling me…"

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I made reservations at the floating restaurant since we'd be in the area. We'll have dinner there tomorrow."

"…You're the best, Kuina."

"Not yet, Zoro. Not yet."


	2. Baratie

Sanji peered out at the dinner crowd, scanning the room for beautiful woman. As usual, the restaurant was packed with rich men and their dates, all enjoying the glamour of the floating restaurant, Baratie. They were universally dressed in fashionable clothes, the women in pleasantly revealing dresses and the men in clean suits.

Almost universally, Sanji amended. The couple in the corner looked distinctly… out of place. The green-haired man was wearing a singularly filthy white shirt, ratty haramaki, and black-green pants stained with mud and less pleasant substances. More prominent were the three katana at his hip. Sanji hoped he wasn't another troublemaking pirate. He certainly looked piratical.

His companion was slightly better off, in a deep purple shirt and black pants. His navy hair was slightly longer than Sanji's, and at his hip was a single katana in a white sheath.

"Sanji! Stop staring and bring Table Five their drinks!"

That was green-hair and purple-shirt's table. Sanji grabbed the drinks and waltzed over. "Sorry about the wait. We're understaffed at the moment."

Green-hair just grunted, but purple-shirt turned to smile at him. "It's no problem," he said, voice surprisingly high and soft. Sanji frowned slightly, examining his face. Large, black eyes; a small, delicate mouth; smooth, flawless skin. This beautiful creature was a woman! Sanji felt his heart swell in his chest.

"Ah! Mademoiselle! I beg your forgiveness! I did not recognize your beauty until just this minute!"

Kuina and Zoro stared at him. "Uh… could I just have my drink?"

"Of course, of course! Please, accept this unworthy glass of iced tea from my loving hand!"

"Uh… Sure…" Kuina said, delicately accepting the proffered beverage. "And, uh, that beer is for my friend here… yes… I'm sure you're terribly busy…"

After waving him off, Kuina sighed. "Weirdo."

Zoro laughed. "He thought you were a guy there for a while, did you notice?"

"Really?" Kuina chuckled. "I guess I just look like a skinny guy when I have my chest bound. What do you think?"

"I dunno. You lust look like Kuina to me."

"Hah! That's almost sweet. I'm surprised."

"It's true, though! I mean-"

"Quiet, you. I know what you meant. So what do you think of the restaurant?"

"It's a lot more… upscale than I'm used to. I feel out of place."

"I know what you mean. Everyone's a lot more dressed up than we are."

"It's not just that, though… I mean, we're here because you were sick of cooking and we had some extra cash from that huge pirate crew, right? But everyone else is here because they wanted to take their girlfriend or whatever someplace nice. We're doing something completely different from them, but they'll probably think we're just like them."

"I hardly think that's a major risk. In case you hadn't noticed, we're dressed like gutter scum. You are, at least. I _said_ you should put on something nice."

"I told you, I don't have anything 'nicer' than this! Besides, there's nothing wrong with this outfit."

"Fine, fine. I won't pester you about it any more."

"Sure you won't," Zoro said, chuckling. "When will someone take our order? I know what I want now."

"The crazy waiter said they were understaffed. I just hope we won't wind up waiting for _too_ long…"

"Eh, this is-" but Zoro was cut off by a huge crash.

"What was that?" they both demanded in unison, standing and half-drawing their katana. Other diners were looking around in alarm.

A few cooks had entered from the kitchen and started moving among the startled customers, assuring them that all was well. Warily, Zoro and Kuina sat down, but kept their hand on the hilts of their swords.

"Wonder what that was all about," Kuina whispered.

"Who knows," Zoro grumbled back.

His companion brushed a speck of plaster, shaken from the roof above, from her shirt. "Maybe the restaurant's being attacked. If it is, want to help out?"

Zoro shook his head. "Baratie's known for its fighting cooks, right? They'd probably get mad if we interfered. Better to stay out of it."

"Such prudence! Such thoughtfulness! Is Roronoa Zoro starting to mature, just a little bit?" Kuina teased.

Zoro flushed red, but whether he was embarrassed or angry was impossible to tell. "Are you ever going to take me seriously?" he demanded.

She smiled her most charming smile. "I don't know. Will you ever beat me?"

Zoro sighed and leaned back in his chair. "That's starting to look like a no. How _embarrassing!_"

Kuina's eyes flashed. "What embarrassing about being routinely defeated by an older, faster, more talented opponent? Hm?"

"No, no! I didn't mean that the way it came out!" Zoro exclaimed, trying to recover. "I just… Let's talk about something else."

Kuina stifled a chuckle. "Fine. Let's talk about how after this I'm taking you shopping in Loguetown."

Zoro felt his spirit falter. "Sh-shopping?" he whimpered, beginning to sweat.

"Sword shopping, you big baby. Those katana you wield are crap. If you keeping working them as hard as you do, they'll shatter within a month. If we don't have enough Beli for something nice, there are bound to be Grand Line hopeful pirates with heads we can cash in. It is Loguetown, after all."

"Have you considered the going to the Grand Line, actually? Any pirate captain who survives long on _that_ sea has to be worthy of a neat bounty."

"Of course I have. But you overestimate my skills as a navigator, Zoro. The Grand Line has the most bizarre weather patterns in this world. I'm no master navigator. I can read a map and get a small boat to a harbor without killing everybody on board. That's about it."

"Tch. We could manage…"


	3. Interlude

_What are you doing, Kuina-chan?_

_Zoro grunted and shifted._

_Your duty is to watch only._

_ There are things he needs to know. Facts he must realize. _

_Zoro's brow furrowed._

_And they are worth the risk you take?_

_ I hope so. _


	4. Loguetown

"… I'm not selling Wadou, old man, no matter what you offer. It's been in my family for a long time. Now, I'm looking for _good_ blades for my friend here. We can pay."

"Bah," the shopkeeper mumbled. "Katana are there and there. Take your time."

Zoro went to browse the barrels in the corner while Kuina investigated the more high-class display. Neither turned to look as another person entered the shop.

"Good morning! I came to pick up Shigure. Is he ready?"

"Oh… yes. I have it here," the shopkeeper said grumpily, shoving her sword at her with rather more force than necessary. Off-balanced, she squeaked, stumbled back, and came crashing into Kuina.

"Hey-" she said, twisting to get a good look at her accidental attacker, and was brought up short.

"You look _exactly_ like me!" they both exclaimed at once. Zoro turned to look, and froze in shock. Two Kuinas! Only one held Wadou Ichimonji and wore plain black and white clothes, while the other one clutched a much more intricately decorated sword, wore a painfully loud shirt, and had a pair of glasses pushed up on her forehead.

"It's… a pleasure to meet you," Kuina said, barely containing her grin as she offered a handshake.

"I'm Sergeant Major Tashigi. I'm, uh, sorry about crashing into- wait! Your sword- could it be…" Tashigi whipped a small book out of nowhere and began paging through it rapidly as Zoro and Kuina stared at her in bemusement.

"Yes! Wadou Ichimonji, one of the Oowaza-mono 21! Amazing! I never thought I'd see a blade like this here! May I- May I-"

Kuina smiled. "Of course. It's not every day I meet someone who appreciates a great sword. That idiot over there just hefted it and said it had 'good balance,'" she said, carefully placing the sheathed katana into her new friend's trembling hands.

"I'm so surprised to see this… I had heard that Wadou Ichimonji was in the hands of bounty hunter Kuina."

Kuina concealed a smirk as Zoro stared confusedly at them. "So I heard. But here it is, right?"

"Yes! Kuina has a reputation throughout East Blue as a great swordswoman. It would make me happy to see another female so skilled at swordfighting… But she's an evil woman! Using a sword as a tool to acquire money is… unforgivable! Why is it that this is an age where evil is so strong? The great swordsmen of the world are all pirates, or bounty hunters. All the great Meitou of the world are in their hands, you see? The swords are crying."

Kuina barely covered a dark scowl at those last words. Wadou Ichimonji cried in her hands? Unthinkable. Absurd. "How are you different, though?"

Tashigi looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

"You said you were a sergeant major. Do they pay well in the Marines?"

"But I-"

"Does Shigure cry because his edge has led to profit? Or is he silent because your reasons for picking him up are pure, and you don't cut down pirates with him because it means a check at the end of the week?"

"That's different! I fight to preserve my justice and the justice of the Marines! Not to make money!"

"I won't deny that some bounty hunters are evil people. But others pick up swords for pure goals and have to do ugly things with them to survive. So get off your damn high horse and listen to what you're saying!"

Tashigi stared at her double, lower lip trembling. After a long pause, she shoved Wadou Ichimonji into Kuina's arms and ran out of the store.

In the silence that followed, Kuina carefully replaced her sword at her hip. "Did you find any katana you liked, Zoro?"

"Ah… No. Not yet…"


	5. Lesson

_Kuina-chan! What lessons are these, that take so long to teach?_

_ That things could have been not as they were, and that it wouldn't have mattered if they had been. That even if his story had had a different beginning, the end would be the same. _

_A difficult lesson for one so short-sighted._

_Zoro allowed the tiniest of moans to escape him._

_ By the end, he will understand. You do not know him as I do. _

_…That is true._

_ Have patience.. _


	6. Parting

"What do you mean, you're leaving with them?!"

"I meant what I said! I've joined their crew!"

"What in the world could have possessed you to join a crew of _pirates_? They'll stand in your way, take your focus from your blades!"

"No, they won't! Will you stop treating me like a child who can't make decisions on his own?"

"I would if you didn't keep making lousy decisions! You barely know these people, how can you travel with them?"

"I can do it because I said I would!"

That stopped her. Kuina jerked back as if stung.

Zoro went on. "I know it sounds crazy, and it's at the last minute, but I feel like with them, I'll become a new person! I'll grow!"

"Then what have you been doing with _me_?" she snarled. "If you think you're the same stupid man who started sailing with me, you're dead wrong!"

"But when I'm with you, I'm constantly second best! I'll always be a redundant little footnote to the grand tale of Kuina the Swordswoman!"

"Damn it, Zoro! Leaving won't make you better!"

"Maybe not. But it _will_ make me different, and anything's better than standing in the same damn shadow since I was a child!"

Kuina felt the tears begin to rise, and cursed herself for her feminine weakness. "You won't have a prayer of ever beating me if we never _fight!_"

"I won't have a prayer of ever beating you if you can match every advance I make, either!"

Suddenly, the fighting spirit just drained out of both of them. Kuina sat down hard on the chair and buried her face in her hands. Zoro looked awkwardly away.

"You're… really leaving, aren't you," Kuina said dully, voice muffled by her hands.

"…Yeah," Zoro replied awkwardly, careful not to look at the woman who was had been his sparring partner, constant companion, and best friend.

"Good luck."

"What?"

"Don't you dare make me say it again, bastard."

"Well… good luck to you, too."

"Come over here. Before you leave, there's something I've wanted to do for a long time," Kuina said, looking up from her hands. Her expression was grave and serious, and though her eyes were bright, her cheeks were dry.

Unsure of what to expect, Zoro closed the distance between them in a few easy steps. He watched, only slightly nervous, as Kuina unfolded herself smoothly from her sitting position.

Zoro was shocked when he realized that he towered over her. His most vivid memories of her were the other way, back when the difference in their ages had made a great deal of difference. It seemed that this height difference had startled Kuina too, since she spent a couple seconds staring at his chest before looking up with a wry smile.

Slowly and carefully she raised her hand. Zoro tensed, about to ask what she was doing, stopped as he felt the cold brush of her fingers against his jaw.

Feather-light, her hand ghosted over his features, exploring the rough, tanned skin and the crevices and hills of his face. Zoro felt his cheeks warm at such… intimate contact.

With painstaking carefulness, she pulled his head down, toward hers. Confused, Zoro didn't resist, but he felt his brain go numb as slowly, deliberately, Kuina pressed her lips against his.

And then the world exploded.

_Zoro snored at Kuina stepped away from him, her eyes bright with tears. Her mentor watched her seriously. She turned. Do you know… if he will remember what he dreamed? _

_He shrugged. He was her great uncle, and had died before she had been born. I have never sent a dream to a live one before. And you guard him, so that may change the situation._

_Kuina sighed and sat on the rail of Zoro's ship, staring at him wistfully. It feels wrong, to make him think of me so long after I died. _

_Her uncle laughed, and put a strong, wrinkled arm around her thin shoulders. I though you knew him better. Zoro is always thinking of you._

_Suddenly, Kuina stiffened, going red. Just… just so you know… that kiss… it doesn't mean… _

_You love him, don't you? he said sharply. So you kissed him. There's nothing to be ashamed of, Kuina-chan._

_ I guess so… she replied, hunching down. But I… I feel worthless, watching him learn to cut steel and channel six-armed gods of chaos or whatever. I've stagnated. _

_The secret to life after death, Kuina, is that the second life is nothing but a hollow mockery of the first. Watching, never changing… Once your mentoring period is over, I'll be moving on. I'll file for reincarnation. Maybe get born as a beautiful woman on a tropical South Blue island._

_ I'm not leaving until he's the best. _

_I know. I know… let's go, Kuina-chan._

_The old man stood, brushing off the long robes of his angelic office. With a sharp intake of breath, his wings formed, huge and white and feathered. Kuina stood and summoned her own. With one last glance at the sleeping swordsman, the two angels flew away._

Some time later Zoro woke to the yelling of his crewmates, the slight tingle of the angel's kiss still buzzing on his lips.


End file.
